Au contraire-- lately many biotech firms are renaming themselves to "life
sciences" corporations and/or changing their mission statements. Out
with hard-edged cold cruel bioTECHNOLOGY and in with warm fuzzy mom and
apple pie LIFE SCIENCES. After all, who's against "life"?

But seriously, they've actually called it correctly. The reasoning behind
the linguistic drift varies, but it has more to do with positioning and
not leaving any stones unturned than political correctness, satires aside.
If you're a "biotechnology" company, you're probably working on software,
sequencing, or diagnostic tools. If you're a "life sciences" company,
you've got a holistic approach to building up a huge patent inventory
and laying down in the dirt with any of the big pharmas or chemibiz
companies that want to do a little sequencing, a little protein folding,
look for reagent locks that like their already-patented keys, etc.

Wups, there I go again. Then again, my latest scrounge in the Sunnyvale
Library "new book" shelf netted "Bitter Harvest", an interesting cross
between the rant section of Fuokoka's "One Straw Revolution" and the
non-biological parts of "Spoiled". Monsanto practically gets a whole
chapter. If you think software licensing has gone a little nuts, try
seed licensing. Buying gengineered seed and want to save some for the
next harvest? Sorry, no can do, you have to buy it again and pay a
licensing fee on top of it. In 1998 there were over 400 lawsuits against
poor schmucks who were saving it anyway, mostly the Roundup Ready
soybean stuff.

Don't worry, rev 2 is here-- with the patented "gene stacking" approach
that Monsanto is perfecting, they can put in the USDA-assisted developed
"Terminator" gene which guarantees seed sterility for the 2nd generation.
Nema problema, as they say in Serbia. OK, because a few wild-eyed
bunny-huggers and tree-kissers (mostly in Europe!) got upset, Monsanto is
putting off widespread "deployment" of the T2 crosses until 2004.

Back to work...

_SRC

Ted Carroll wrote:
>
> It seems that Guy and crew aren't too hip on the whole Internet thing
> anymore. Notice the reference to "life sciences business". I admit it. I
> went in 1999 -- the year of "IWantToBlowMyNoseInYourHair.com"
>
> Ted C.
>
> -----
>
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